What if the very GM agricultural system that Monsanto claims will help to solve the problem of world hunger depends on a chemical that kills the very pollinator upon which approximately 70% of world’s food supply now depends?

The researchers found that concentrations of glyphosate (GLY) consistent with the type of exposures associated with standard spraying practices in GM agricultural- and neighboring eco- systems reduced the honeybee’s sensitivity to…

In a telling story highlighting the true face of political corruption, corrupt Indian politicians have successfully stolen more than $14.5 billion worth of food from starving poverty-stricken citizens. Looting over 57,000 tons of food intended for the starving poor, the unpunished corrupt lawmakers and politicians are warehousing the mass amount of food supplies in a government-owned storage facility that spans more than five football fields in length.

The blatant corruption has been confirmed in a recent report by mainstream media outletBloomberg, which reports that many of the starving 350 million families whose food has been stripped away by the government are currently ‘surviving’ on less than 50 cents per day. The nefarious government hooligans robbed away the region’s five-decade-old public food distribution system which served as virtually the only way in which the struggling families could survive.

KINSHASA, March 28 (Reuters) – The United Nations must boost peacekeeping forces in areas of Africa where Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels operate to stop massacres such as one that killed more than 300 people in December, a rights group said.

The Ugandan rebel group has killed and abducted people on a regular basis for the last 23 years, from Uganda, Sudan, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch noted in a report.

It said the United Nations has fewer than 1,000 peacekeepers in this vast and and often impenetrable areas where the rebels mount their attacks.

The U.N. says the LRA killed more than 1,200 people in a 10-month period throughout 2008 and 2009, while the rights group puts the death toll in a massacre previously unreported in the remote northeast last December at 321.

“The four-day rampage demonstrates that the LRA remains a serious threat to civilians and is not a spent force, as the Ugandan and Congolese governments claim,” Anneke Van Woudenberg, a senior researcher at HRW, said.

HRW also wants the Congolese government to work with mobile phone companies to bring network coverage to the area.

One witness cycled 60 km (40 miles) to find a telephone to inform the U.N. of the massacre, and villages that were subsequently attacked knew nothing of nearby attacks.

KAMPALA, Uganda, JUBA, Sudan and WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress today released the following statement:

The Enough Project confirms that a contingent of the deadly Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, has taken refuge in areas of south Darfur, Sudan, controlled by the Government of Sudan. The possibility of rekindled collaboration between LRA leader Joseph Kony and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir – both wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, or ICC – should alarm policymakers and demands urgent international investigation and response.

The LRA originated in northern Uganda during the late 1980s. In addition to committing widespread atrocities in Uganda, throughout the 1990s and early 2000s the LRA served as a proxy for the Sudanese government in its war with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, in southern Sudan. In 2005, Kony publicly stated that the Bashir government supported the LRA as a proxy force to destabilize the south, a charge that Khartoum continues to deny despite considerable evidence to the contrary.

“The Khartoum regime’s principal tool of war during its 21-year reign has been support for marauding militias such as the Janjaweed, the Murahaliin, and the Lord’s Resistance Army,” said Enough Co-founder John Prendergast. “Facing no consequences for this destructive method of governing, it is unsurprising that the regime is again providing safe haven for the LRA. Absent a cost for this, we will likely see the LRA unleashed again later this year to destabilize the referendum in southern Sudan.”

With material support from Khartoum, the LRA quickly became one of the deadliest militias in Africa, known for gruesome mutilations of civilians and abduction of children to serve as fighters and sex slaves. Following failed peace talks from 2006 to 2008, the LRA morphed into a full blown regional insurgency with fighters in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, or CAR, and southern Sudan.

In late 2009, Enough received credible information that an LRA reconnaissance team was seeking to make contact with the Sudanese army at their base in Kafia Kingi, near south Darfur‘s border with CAR. In recent months, Ugandan forces have pursued the LRA into Congo, CAR, and southern Sudan, but are restricted from crossing Sudan‘s disputed north-south border.

Now, based on months of field research and interviews with government and United Nations officials in several countries, Enough can confirm that LRA units have reached south Darfur.

“This is a very disturbing development. The move by the Government of Sudan to provide the LRA with safe haven demands a firm, rapid, and well-coordinated response from the United States and its partners in the international community,” said John Norris, Enough’s Executive Director. “A failure to bring clear and consistent pressure on President Bashir and his allies for this latest outrage will only encourage the Sudanese government to commit further abuses, with a terrible cost for civilians on the ground.”

Also today, Enough released a strategy paper by field researcher Ledio Cakaj detailing the continuing threat posed by the LRA to civilians in northeastern Congo. The report, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: LRA Attacks and Congolese Army Abuses in Northeastern Congo,” argues that much greater efforts must be made to protect civilians from a resurgent LRA and the predatory Congolese army.

Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, eastern Congo, and areas of Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. For more information, please visit www.enoughproject.org.

So i’ve been reading a few books lately and i really need to let people know how amazing these books are. Stories of real life struggles, survival and courage in the face of hardships.

Cola’s Journey – The story of a young sudanese man’s journey from Sudan, throughout africa and to finally become an Australian Refugee and Citizen. This book amazed me. The courage and strength of Cola (chol) and all that he has survived and lived through totally amazed me, how can one person have so much courage and strength to keep on going? 14 years of travelling, mostly by foot! but its not just one person that has gone through this, there are thousands upon thousands of kids with similar stories that still remain unheard. Cola’s determination, courage and strength inspire me to keep on doing what i do for Human Rights. NO ONE should have to be faced with the life he was dealt. No Human deserves to live in fear, be abducted, forced to do something against their will. No One!

First Kill Your Family – Child soldiers of Uganda and the Lords Resistance Army. This book is a great informational tool. Contains facts and information about the war, theories and stories of those who were abducted. All that i had suspected previously was confirmed in this book. Peter, thank you for bringing to light the stories of these beautiful children and the Acholi and Langi Tribes of Northern Uganda. Your book has just inspired me to be all i can be and to never give up. None of these children ever gave up on hope, nor will i.

I stand firm with my beliefs and hope that through my work with Invisible Children and other local non profits i can help bring about change. I can help inspire our nation to change the lives of others.

Australians have compassion, love and sympathy, yet sometimes they are lazy. The typical way of “laid back” life for us is someone else’s pain and suffering, when we are “laid back” they are dying, suffering and starving.You don’t need to be a martyr or a genius to help. Each person in this world has their own unique ability, a way in which they can help. Find your ability, find a cause and go on a mission, a mission to change.

I was bought up with parents who have served many years (even still serving) in the local Lions Club organisation. Through my childhood years i spent many hours volunteering in Blacktown with them. Through all i have done, it has given me a renewed sense of life, a greater meaning for me being here. I see myself as “a voice for the voiceless” one whom is willing to stand up when injustice happens and say “NO, this is NOT right!”

Imagine if our beloved country had rebels? Imagine YOUR children being abducted and forced to be soldiers? Imagine our government telling us we had 24 hours to leave our homes and go to displacement camps? How would this make you feel? Find that emotional connection and work with it. I found mine in an ex-child solider called “Jacob”. I connected with his pain as my son is called “jacob”, how easy it is to connect, to make something emotional and personal. Once we make it emotional and personal, we find our lives changing. Open your eyes to the uncomfortable, embrace it, work with it and change your life!

My life, will never be the same, it changed dramatically 3 yrs ago when i was introducted to Invisible Children’s Rough Cut DVD. This is my mission now, to help those who have been “invisible” through this 24 year war of madness. I am a new person, a different person, a fighter and challenger of evil. I will not stop until the day i die. I hope, once my children are older, to be able to take my mission international. To visit and help locally with those who are affected by evil’s, war and poverty. Be it Africa, Indonesia or any other country that requires help. I have found why i was placed on earth, i challenge you to find your reason for existence.

My father said to me only a few weeks ago “you know you can’t save everyone”. Deep in my heart, i really wish i could, but i am only 1 person in a world of billions. I may not be able to “save” everyone, but i can educate those who will listen. Education to me is something i never really cared to much about, but as i have grown older, i know that it is the key to everything. At 29 yrs old (pushing 30 next month!) i am only now realising how important education is, i am hoping to apply to university next year (2011) and to continue with my education. Each day i browse the net, looking for information, seeking education, seeking that which is not known and sharing with others. What satisfaction do i get out of this? Not Money or gifts, i get personal and spiritual satisfaction knowing that i CAN CHANGE THE WORLD one person at a time!

Like this:

So i have lots on my plate this year, which is quite exciting for me now as i’m no longer working.

This year i’m dedicating my time to ensuring my health gets better as this “hypothyroidism” really sucks crab big time and i’m so over being exhausted and sick. I’m also dedicating my time to some new volunteer work at the Horn of Africa Relief and Development centre, hopefully helping newly arrived Sudanese to learn basic English to help them gain employment.

I’ve got some great things booked already for Invisible Children Aus, like the Orientation Day stall at Notre Dame University in February of this year and am hoping to have a stall at the Blacktown Festival in June of this year also.

Since seeing the Invisible Children Documentary i have felt blessed to be able to help in a way that i have but sometimes it feels like its not enough, like if i died would all i have done gone noticed? i don’t feel so, i know do alot for others but in a way i feel constricted to the computer, like i have not done enuff “hands on” work, so my goal is to get to Northern Uganda in April of 2011 and do some “hands on” work with 3 great organizations, Invisible Children, Joy for Children Uganda and Compassion Australia.

Whilst in Northern Uganda i wish to briefly study the effects of war and poverty within the community as well as document stories of those affected by the war and poverty as well as the AIDS/HIV virus. I will then be visiting my sponsored children in Western Uganda before heading home to apply to University. I’m not quite sure exactly which course i want to take as yet as i’m still conflicted between Journalism and Peace & Development as i’m not totally sure which one of those would help me achieve what it is i want to achieve in my life.

I love being able to inspire people and report injustices, unheard stories and helping others understand the plight of those in war & poverty.

Where i live, we have a large Sudanese Community who are settling here and i feel that we need to understand more what these people have lived through and how better we can serve them to help them become fantastic community members as well. The racism i see going on is wrong. I myself have been a victim of racism by a newly arrived Youth quite recently actually and found myself quite shocked by this youth’s behavior and clear lack of respect for anyone but himself. It really upset me that i was just driving down the street and suddenly this youth stepped out on the road in front of my car and expected me to be able to stop for him! when i called out the window and proceed to explain he had stepped out on the road and it was not a footpath, i was told in quite a forceful manner to “f**k off!” well i lost it right then and there and told him in my best Aussie Accent “no mate, you f**k off, this is a road not a footpath!! your lucky i was able to stop!” I held no racism nor hate or malice against this youth but it really pissed me off that he EXPECTED me to stop my car immediately and let him walk across the road! Then it kinda made me wonder what this youth has been through both before coming here and then after coming here and what could have happened to him to make him be so rude and forceful, was he a victim of racism by our local community? I felt ashamed and really not proud of myself for my outburst but i had just had enough.

Over the last few weeks i have come to see that there is SOOO much racism in Australia its not funny and yet we are built on a foundation of multiculturalism, how did we get like this? The Aussie way is giving a hand to the battlers, giving people a fair go, yet all i hear are people complaining about our govt letting in refugee’s and immigrants. Do these people not deserve a fair go? Refugee’s are the most resilient and strong people on our earth, they have faced such hard times and suffered things, we in our beautiful country have not had to experience, yet you all complain?

Unless your an aboriginal, REMEMBER your family immigrated here sometime either recently or in history!! Our penal colony country has evolved into a haven of racism and hate and it really saddens me to see i, but can we expect any less from a country that was founded with criminals?

My parents immigrated here when they were children with their families, had they not, i’d probably be Dutch and living in the Netherlands. What country would you have been born in if your parents were not blessed to call Australia home? think about it!

so as not to end on a downer, i really wanna congratulate Invisible Children on winning the Chase Community Giveaway through Facebook! $1 Million Dollars!! $100,000 of that has been pledged to Haiti Relief and the rest will be used to build schools and water wells as well as maintain the cotton farm in Northern Uganda so that very soon the Tshirts you buy will be MADE on Invisible Children Cotton from Northern Uganda, how cool is that!!! Invisible Children keep on fighting for the end of a war that has been raging for around 24 yrs now. Will you join in the fight? the fight to end the Longest Running War in Africa?

Compassion Australia has launched an urgent appeal for the children of Haiti after the recent devastating earthquake. Compassion has more than 64,000 children supported in the country, including more than 4,600 sponsored by Australians.

* DONATE NOW

The organisation has committed 100 per cent of funds raised through the Haiti Earthquake Disaster Appeal to the people of Haiti. Compassion is not withholding ANY funds for administration purposes.

Compassion CEO Paul O’Rourke said the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the country of Haiti this morning was cause for grave concern for the thousands of Compassion assisted children in the region.

He said the organisation had already mobilised an emergency response team from Miami that will fly to the Dominican Republic and bus into the capital of Port-au-Prince, as the airport has been closed.

“Whilst reading a blog tonight i come across this bit of information, i thought it would be relevant to share, i really think people should also click on the link at the end and read the full report. This is a SERIOUS issue that needs to be taken seriously, with over 1 billion going hungry each day it is our duty to act, change and be aware of what is going on in our global community. i cannot stress the urgency of the situations for those in refugee and IDP camps worldwide. Scenes of hopelessness, desperation, suffering in the face of the most resilient people i have ever seen. I Urge the Aus citizens and Government to ACT on Climate Change, help reduce our carbon footprint for our earth to survive. ” – Rebecca Fowler (*Freeuganda)

REPORT

Shorbanu Khatun of Bangladesh stood out among the thousands of suited negotiators in Copenhagen. Khatun’s husband was killed by a tiger when their land was parched by extended dry seasons and flooded with salt water, forcing him to venture into the jungle to feed his family.

Then in May, Cyclone Aila destroyed Khatun’s home, along with those of 500,000 others, forcing her to live in an internally displaced persons’ camp on an embankment with thousands of other survivors. At high tide, they are flooded up to their chests. It is hard to imagine a more arduous existence.

Khatun describes her experience over five years: “Everything seems to have changed. It is suddenly too hot. There is a severe scarcity of rain. Because it is too hot, fish have reduced significantly in the river. Skin diseases, headache and diarrhoea have become regular phenomena… I want justice for my life; for my children’s lives and livelihoods.”

But it’s hard to see how the Copenhagen Accord delivers justice to people in poor countries that are least responsible for climate change but suffer its impacts right now.

The Australian Government should see this accord as a floor, not a ceiling. It will be hard to encourage countries such as the US and China to make real progress on climate change, if our ambitions remain low.

Australia, as one of the highest per-capita polluters in the world, and the developed country most at risk from climate change, must increase its target to a science-based 40 per cent by the February deadline. We must also contribute our fair share of climate finance, based on our historical responsibility for emissions and our capacity to pay. With Treasurer Wayne Swan yesterday lauding Australia’s 19th consecutive year of growth, we can afford to do this.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd must make clear to Australians that significant changes – in our economy, our society and our relationships with the rest of the world – are needed to meet the climate change crisis.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been irresponsible in simplifying the complex debate to trite sloganeering. As the alternative leader of our nation, he needs to understand that an effective response demands change, and this will have some costs now.

As numerous studies have shown, the cost of inaction will be far greater – it will cost the Australia dearly if we see a drop in agricultural yields in the country’s food bowl, or have to cope with a rise in the number of catastrophic bushfires and severe weather events.

Globally, 300,000 people die each year from climate change and that number is rising. People like Khatun are not victims; they are finding solutions. But they need the support of the rich countries that are responsible for three-quarters of the carbon in the atmosphere.

DAKAR, 6 January 2010 (IRIN) – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Guinea is seeking funds to re-stock nutritional centres which are running out of essential fortified foods at a time of rising malnutrition.

The latest monthly nutritional survey in the capital, Conakry, showed that moderate acute malnutrition rose to 8.4 percent in December from 6.9 percent in November. The surveillance, funded by the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, is carried out by Helen Keller International (HKI), the Health Ministry and the government humanitarian office.

Families are increasingly bringing children to NGO-supported nutritional centres but because of a shortage of corn-soya blend (CSB), vegetable oil and sugar – used for treating moderate acute malnutrition – WFP can no longer supply the centres as needed, according to agency officials.

“The demand for CSB is greater than the supply and currently we do not have the funds to furnish all nutritional centres,” Foday Turay, WFP-Guinea head of programme unit, told IRIN.

“WFP is therefore appealing urgently for funds to replenish its stocks of CSB, as well as vegetable oil and sugar, so that we can continue providing much-needed nutritional support throughout Guinea.”

WFP is seeking funds to help 25,000 children and 7,000 pregnant and lactating women.

Mamady Daffe, head of the Health Ministry’s nutrition unit, told IRIN: “Resources for malnutrition treatment are quite limited and this means the situation is worsening by the day.”

High child malnutrition rates are common throughout West Africa; some 4.5 million under-five children, or 9.9 percent, suffer acute malnutrition, according to the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group.

Since the signing of a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army in 2006, about two thirds of the 1.8 million IDPs who lived in camps at the height of the crisis have returned to their areas of origin.

However, much work remains to be done to ensure that these returns are sustainable. Basic infrastructure and services in the return areas are inadequate or non-existent. Lack of access to clean water poses a risk of epidemics, and clinics and schools struggle with a lack of facilities and qualified personnel. While returnees have begun to grow their own food, the food security situation of many is still fragile, particularly as low rainfall since April 2009 means that harvests are predicted to be more than 60 per cent lower than normal.

Significant numbers of those who remain in the camps are there not out of choice but because they are unable to return to their home areas. Some IDPs cannot return because land disputes prevent them from accessing land, while IDPs with special needs and vulnerabilities are unable to support themselves in the return areas. Returnee communities need assistance to reintegrate these vulnerable IDPs.

The government and its international partners in northern Uganda have struggled to manage the transition from humanitarian emergency assistance to recovery and development. The government is in the process of reasserting its authority in the north, and is formally in charge of coordination and the provision of planning frameworks. However, a lack of capacity at the local level means that government authorities frequently struggle to discharge their operational responsibilities. (…)

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)

The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) , led by Joseph Kony, operated in the north from bases in southern Sudan. The LRA committed numerous abuses and atrocities, including the abduction, rape, maiming, and killing of civilians, including children. In addition to destabilising northern Uganda from bases in Sudan, the LRA congregated in the Bunia area in eastern Congo. They linked up with the Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALIR) and other rebel groups battling with forces from the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD)

Some accused the Sudan of supporting the LRA and Uganda of allegedly supporting the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the rebel movement that fought against the Sudanese government. Although both governments denied the accusations, they severed diplomatic relations with eachother on April 22, 1995. However, relations between the two countries improved. In 1999, Sudan and Uganda signed an agreement under which Sudan said it would stop aiding the LRA and Uganda would stop aiding the SPLA.

The LRA continued to kill, torture, maim, rape, and abduct large numbers of civilians, virtually enslaving numerous children. Although its levels of activity diminished somewhat compared with 1997, the area that the LRA targeted grew. The LRA sought to overthrow the Ugandan Government and inflicted brutal violence on the population in northern Uganda. LRA forces also targeted local government officials and employees. The LRA also targeted international humanitarian convoys and local NGO workers.

The LRA has abducted large numbers of civilians for training as guerrillas; most victims were children and young adults. The LRA abducted young girls as sex and labor slaves. Other children, mainly girls, were reported to have been sold, traded, or given as gifts by the LRA to arms dealers in Sudan. While some later escaped or were rescued, the whereabouts of many children remain unknown.

In particular, the LRA abducted numerous children and, at clandestine bases, terrorized them into virtual slavery as guards, concubines, and soldiers. In addition to being beaten, raped, and forced to march until exhausted, abducted children were forced to participate in the killing of other children who had attempted to escape. Amnesty International reported that without child abductions, the LRA would have few combatants. More than 6,000 children were abducted during 1998, although many of those abducted later escaped or were released. Most human rights NGOs place the number of abducted children still held captive by the LRA at around 3,000, although estimates vary substantially.

Civil strife in the north has led to the violation of the rights of many members of the Acholi tribe, which is largely resident in the northern districts of Gulu and Kitgum. Both government forces and the LRA rebels–who themselves largely are Acholi–committed violations. LRA fighters in particular were implicated in the killing, maiming, and kidnaping of Alcholi tribe members, although the number and severity of their attacks decreased somewhat compared with 1997.

The LRA rebels say they are fighting for the establishment of a government based on the biblical Ten Commandments. They are notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to become rebel fighters or concubines. More than one-half-million people in Uganda’s Gulu and Kitgum districts have been displaced by the fighting and are living in temporary camps, protected by the army.

Lira: about 1,300 civilians have died in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 10 Months following Human Rights abuses allegedly committed by rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army, according to latest periodic reports by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

One report on southern Sudan reveals attacks on civilians in Western and Central Equatoria States, between December 15 2008 and March 10 2009.

The report on the DRC states that at least 1,200 civilians were killed, including women who were raped before execution. According to the report, more than 100 people were wounded by gunshots and stabbing and about 1,400 people were abducted and some executed or are missing.

Sexual slavery”During their captivity, abductees were subjected to forced labour in fields, forced to carry looted goods or personal effects or recruited into the LRA. Women were forced to marry LRA members, subjected to sexual slavery, or both,” the report released last week said.

It adds: “Thousands of homes, dozens of shops and businesses, as well as public buildings, including at least 30 schools, health centres, hospitals, churches, markets, and traditional seats of chiefdoms, were looted, set on fire and over 200,000 people were also displaced.”

Describing harrowing experience from victims, the report called on the international community to co-operate with the ICC in investigating, arresting, and transferring all LRA leaders accused of international crimes.

The report also accused the DRC army, FARDC, of human rights violation of the displaced persons instead of protecting them.

The report stated that attacks, systematic and widespread human rights violations carried out since mid-September 2008 against Congolese civilians may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Sudan report on the other hand based on 27 confirmed attacks, reveals that at least 81 civilians were killed in attacks and many others injured.

“The evidence presented in this report suggests that LRA actions may amount to crimes against humanity,” the report says. The reports recommended that the United Nation Mission in Sudan should exercise its protection of civilians since its mandated to prevent further loss of life.

“The international community, including governments, should cooperate with the ICC to search for, arrest and surrender the LRA leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The international community should support meaningful peace efforts between governments in the region and the LRA,” the report recommends.

Issues in report

Women were forced to marry LRA members, subjected to sexual slavery or both.

Thirty schools, health centres, hospitals, churches, markets, and traditional seats of chiefdoms, were looted, set on fire. Over 200,000 people were displaced.

The report describes the report as systematic and widespread human rights violations carried out since mid-September 2008 against Congolese civilians may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Orientale Province

Since late 2008, the civilian population of Haut and Bas-Uélé has been caught up in a dramatic cycle of violence linked to attacks perpetrated by the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and the Ugandan and Congolese offensive against the LRA. As the situation deteriorates, civilians also find themselves facing increasing banditry.

One year after violence erupted in Haut-Uélé district, in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), attacks and clashes have now expanded to new areas, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee. MSF is working in five locations of Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uélé to bring free health care, emergency aid, and psychological support to the displaced and resident populations.

Haut-Uélé

From June to September, MSF conducted 2,800 outpatient consultations in the two health centres it supports in Namboli and Lipay, in the Dungu area. Most patients were treated for malaria, diarrhoea, and respiratory infections.

In Dungu hospital, MSF medical teams performed 452 surgeries, cared for 100 severely malnourished children, and for another 220 children with a variety of other health problems.

Since August, MSF has also worked in reproductive health and supports the hospital’s maternity department, where sexually transmitted infections are common.

Teams provided psychological support for 88 patients who had suffered as a result of the violence.

Doruma, a town on the border with Sudan, is at the heart of a very insecure area. The population of Doruma and the 12,000 people who have fled there are at risk of hunger – it is too dangerous for them to go to their fields and tend their crops.

MSF supports three health centres where 2,500 outpatient consultations have been carried out this year. MSF also supports the hospital in Doruma, where 94 patients were hospitalised in September. In October, MSF began providing mental health support and treatment for sleeping sickness, in addition to supporting the surgical and maternity wards.

Niangara is the main town at the crossroads leading to the Central African Republic and Southern Sudan. Around 11,000 displaced people have arrived in the town, fleeing violence. MSF is supporting the main referral hospital in Niangara and the nearby Wawé health centre.

Since the start of MSF activities there seven months ago, medical teams have carried out up to 1,000consultations per week at the general hospital and the Wawé health centre.

MSF teams put a psychosocial programme in place to help the local population cope with the trauma and stress of continuous violence and displacement. Between June and early November, 80 patients received treatment.

Following attacks in December 2008, MSF started to provide medical and psychological care in Faradje. Teams cared for more than 100 children, both boys and girls, who had been abducted by armed men and then escaped or were released. They were given a place to sleep, a space to play, and individual support from an MSF psychologist. This programme has been handed over to another organisation.

MSF continues to support Faradje hospital, where some 11,000 patients have received consultations and 900 were treated in the maternity, paediatric, surgical or internal medicine departments. The main diseases treated here are malaria, intestinal parasites and skin infections.

Civilians attacked, bombed, and cut off from aid in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), along with stagnant funding for treating HIV/AIDS and ongoing neglect of other diseases, were among the worst emergencies in 2009.

Continuing crises in north and south Sudan, along with the failure of the international community to finally combat childhood malnutrition were also included on this year’s list. The list is drawn from MSF’s operational activities in close to 70 countries, where the organization’s medical teams witnessed some of the worst humanitarian conditions.

So here it is again, that time of year when everyone is out there rushing around trying to figure out what to buy their friends or family for christmas. Me, i just don’t get it, why do we spend hundreds of dollars on toys that sit in toy boxes and barely get used cuz they simply have “too much” to play with!? I honestly don’t see the point anymore, i’d find myself tearing my hair out with all these toys everywhere, yet they didnt get played with more like just dumped out of the box in the never ending search for something else!

So this year ive decided to change my ways of buying for my family. I’m giving a gift of sustainability, a gift that in turn keeps on giving. There are so many of these gifts right under your nose and you probably don’t even know it!

Support a great non profit and shop in their store! However, always remember THERE IS a DIFFERENCE between a Charity and a Non Profit!

So to get you started here are some great tips on places to give a great gift yet it keeps on giving through programs implemented by the organisations.

Invisible Children – Check out this cool store for Dvd’s & Bracelets, Cool Tshirts, Beanies, Scarves, Bags, Books & More. Each $$ goes back into on the ground programs to help those affected by war in Northern Uganda

Compassion – Gifts of Compassion – A great way to support a person in need.

All For Charity – A range of Items with 100% of Royalties going to either Invisible Children or Betty (Child headed household in Uganda)

Thats just to mention a few. This Christmas remember, that yes its nice to give a gift to the ones we love but no need to over do it, remember there are over 1 billion hungry people right now, so whilst your shovelling down the lovely christmas day lunch, take time out to thank those around you for your good fortune and to remember those who are less fortunate that yourself. A gift to a stranger can bring more happiness than you can imagine.

So i’ve finally decided!! I’m submitting my application to University of Western Sydney for Bachelor of Social Sciences Peace and Development! It was a tough decision between that and Bachelor of Communications Journalism but i finally decided. I think it would be a great thing to be formally trained in an area i am passionate in. I’m really looking forward to going to University, as i really never thought i would get a chance to do it.

Through volunteering with Invisible Children i have uncovered a side of me that id never really knew existed. I want to continue to expand, grow and further my knowledge so i can in turn be of more help to those who require it the most.

So…Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes are in the air for me and my life and i really am excited. I’m going to apply to start mid year so that way i have around 6 months to get my medication settled and hopefully all my ongoing tests done and be cleared for start June 2010!

During my time in Uganda i will be visiting what is left of the Displacement Camps in Northern Uganda as well as spending some volunteer time in the Invisible Children office in Gulu. and the Compassion centre in Kaboywa and visiting the Northern Ugandan Villages that are currently being rebuilt.

Northern Uganda has been rocked by a raging war over the last 23 years and peace is only now starting to return to Northern Uganda. These people have been in displacement camps since approx 1996 and require help, councelling, food and much more to re-start their lives in their old villages. visit www.invisiblechildren.com to watch the documentary and see what they are doing for the people of Uganda.

Travelling Between June – December 2011 and staying for 3/6 weeks.

I am currently a volunteer for Invisible Children Australia and sponsor 6 children Uganda as well. I am aiming to spend 3-6 weeks in Uganda doing volunteer work and expanding my knowledge on the area and affected persons so that i can fully understand the needs of these people to help continue to commit myself to the Invisible children cause as Company Secretary for IC AUS – All Australian positions are volunteer only and we are not employed by Invisible Children or receive any monetary goods or cash for our actions.

As a mother of 3 children myself i am currently unable to cover all the costs associated with getting the tickets and travel arrangements covered as well as the associated costs with the camera’s and such to be able to document this journey for my sponsors. I have been a volunteer my whole life with my parents through Lions Club International but have found my own calling in invisible children.

I will be documenting my journey through Uganda through video and pictures. I have created the website FreeUganda and currently run this as well as the twitter page @freeuganda and a blog as well as run the offical Invisible Children OZ Twitter @InvisibleOZ and i also run ALL FOR CHARITY store with 100% of profits are donated.

Each sponsorship amount is greatly appreciated and i urge you all to join up to FreeUganda to check out what is going on in Uganda and the status of sponsorship etc.

I Thank you kindly for your sponsorship as without your support i will not be able to fulfill this mission in my life.

All these items have been created to raise awareness whilst the royalties go to great non-profits or direct to betty (via joy for children uganda) to help where needed.

If you go through our webstore via the link above and purchase something from someone else’s store, we ill be paid a referral fee for this and in turn any and all referral fee’s we receive we will pass onto Betty in Uganda/Invisible Children.

So far we have made in Royalties $45 and this will be donated at the end of December 2009. To give you an idea we make between 0.40c and $7.50 royalties depending on the item.

I want to thank everyone who has purchased items from this store, your helping to bring awareness to those around you and also helping those who are far away.

So i’ve kinda neglected my journals a bit lately as ive been quite busy at work and home. I’m finishing my job in December of this year and moving further up the NSW coast to be near Newcastle due to my health issues with being a hypothyroidism.

Ill update my journal shortly with things i’ve done over the past month, highlights if you will of things attended, people met etc.

I really thank you all for following what i do and would ask that this Christmas, give the gift of giving! purchase something from a non profit or agency that supports those in need, a gift that keeps on giving! In such hard economic times we need to stand together and support the missions of change happening all around the world. Change can come, but it requires perseverance and dedication. are you dedicated?